Feeding rotors for fertilizer distributors



Nov. 27, 1956 D. J. CHRISTENSON EIAL 2,772,030

FEEDING ROTORS FOR FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTORS Filed June 30, 1955 a a l DONALD J-CHR/STENSON y SA LERNO ARMA ND A United States Patent ice FEEDING ROTORS FOR FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTORS Donald J. Christenson, Kansasville, and Armand A. Salerno, Racine, Wis., assignors to J. I. Case Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 30, 1955, Serial No. 519,092 Claims. 01. 222-242 The present invention relates to improvements in feeding rotors for'fertilizer distributors and an object of the invention is to generally improve the construction and operation of devices of this type.

' Distributors for seeds, chemical fertilizers such as lime and other granular and often hygroscopic material, comprising elongated hoppers transported over the ground in a direction at right angles to their length have become quite popular, the hoppers having a series of adjustable feeding openings arranged along the bottom and a shaft within the hopper a short distance above the openings. The shaft has a series of rotors, one for each opening, which are driven by rotation of the shaft and which have portions passing into the openings 9. short distance to insure even feeding of the granular material, the shaft commonly serving as the axle for the wheels on which the device is supported and transported over the ground. Difficulty has been experienced in quantity production of these machines in locating the rotors accurately enough so that they will consistently reach into the openings and at the same time avoid inadvertently contacting the material of the hopper at the margins of the openings. soon damaged or enlarged and the accuracy of feeding is seriously impaired. Other types of rotors have been made wherein a series of flexible fingers made of spring wire are caused to enter the openings, the wires being easily deflected in case they encounter lumps in the fertilizer or if they inadvertently contact some part of the hopper.

Such rotors of course are relatively costly and further objects of the present invention are to improve upon the mounting of the wire fingers in a rotor of the latter type; to bias the fingers strongly toward their desired correct position; to provide a maximum possible amount of free length for distortion of the fingers without permanent bending; to securely anchor the fingers in place; and to devise expedients for so holding the fingers which will be as simple and inexpensive as possible. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings in which an illustrative embodiment is shown, but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be taken as limited to the particular construction disclosed as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as is consistent with the state of the art.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a cross section of a small portion of a fertilizer distributor showing one of the improved rotors with parts broken away, and in cooperation with one of the openings in the feed hopper;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3'is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters have been applied to the same parts throughout the drawings and specification.

Distributors of the type herein contemplated are wellknown, a complete disclosure of a typical example being found in the patent to Juzwiak, No. 2,510,031, filed Patented Nov. 27, 1956 2 April 28, 1949, and patented June 6, 1950. This patent shows the general aspects of this type of spreader, the present invention of course dealing with a different type of rotor for discharging the material through the discharge openings.

As seen in Fig. 1, 10 represents the lower portion or bottom of the fertilizer hopper which is preferably arcuate in form and whichv provides an opening 12 for the discharge of material, a slide 14 having an opening 16 being maintained in place against the hopper bottom 10 by suitable means as strips 18 and 20, slide 14 being shiftable toward and from the observer in Fig. 1 so as to expose more or less of opening 16 to opening 12 all as well-known and fully disclosed in the foresaid patent. A rotor generally designated as 22 is mounted on a shaft 24 and comprises juxtaposed plates 26 and 28, in the present instance plate 26 having a hub portion 30 which If the latter occurs the openings are very fits and is welded or otherwise suitably fixed on shaft 24. Plate 28 is smaller than plate 26 and fastened thereto by shouldered rivets 32 which locateplate 28 spaced axially of shaft 24 a predetermined amount as apparent in Figs. 2 and 3 within which space are received spring wire units generally designated as 34. Plate 26 is preferably formed with a series of radially extending strips or arms 36 forming notches 38 therebetween, the arrangement being similar to the spokes of a wheel with the rim removed, strips 36 extending substantially beyond the margins of plate 28. For a symmetrical arrangement an even number of strips or spokes 36 is necessary and in the present instance eight are shown. Spring wire units 34 are double or bifurcated in aspect and each unit is associated with two of the strips 36.

Wire units 34 are preferably made of durable material such as hard steel or piano wire so as to be strong and at the same time yieldable in case of excessive loading from hardened fertilizer, encountering obstructions or the like, in such event the wires springing substantially out of the positions shown but returning immediately when the excessive stress is overcome or the obstruction is passed.

Wire units 34 in one position are similar to the capital letter W but with the usual sharp apexes rounded. Thus the W starts with a side finger 40 as seen in Fig. 1, which extends generally downward to a rounded apex 42,. the wire continuing upward to a rounded apex 44, again downward to a rounded apex and again upward in a side finger 48. As will beclear in Fig. 1 side finger 40 lies lengthwise of one ofthe strips 36, apex 44 -encircles or passes on either side of one of the shouldered rivets 32 while side finger 48 lies along the next adjacent strip 36 circumferentially beyond'the rivets 32. Side fingers 40 and 48 extend beyond the extremities of strips'36 and as seen at the lower part of Fig.1 .1 enter opening 12 so as to extend at least partially through the thickness of bottom portion 10. As will be, apparent if there is any slight inaccuracy so that fingers 40 and 48 contact any part of bottom 10 they can readily spring out of the way and snap back into place after they have passed the contact point. Y

Rounded apexes 42 and 46 are located substantially in contact with the exterior of shaft 24 which serves to locate the innermost position of apexes 42 and 46, and locking plate 28, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 3, has tongue portions 50 and 52 cut therefrom and'pressed'into the clearance between plates 26 and 28, tongues 50 and 52 being of a shape to extend within apexes 42 and 46. Wire units 34 are therefore retained by tongues 50 and 52 astride rivets 32 within the space between plates 26 and 28. They are prevented from rocking about rivets 32 .by contact with tongues 50mm 52 and with shaft 24,

'tion appreciably they are still free to spring throughout a most of their length when one of theside fingers is ie tedf-at 54 games-tribe's m1 7 iateaax -rir ending 01 sowin V is substantiali-y rhdrethan permitted by v elastic? ature-er the steel e these W sha'o'ed fnem will tier *adiirse --coridit1ons, 'jtliei wires returning to the e a "for;ezaiiiple ifa'stoneior a-luli'ipbf fert lizer lod ges inopeDiiigsIIZ and lfi'th'e wires will snap 7 Vet it"un'tilitis ither distin'g'ifated'or dislodged wherepbnfthey will bentinu'eto work in thelintended manner.

" Thefnew'r'otor'is composed er only'three difie r'ent types' V e p'artsfe'xeliisive of the rivets 'or fastening means, and

5th refer lends "itself "to ieonorn'ic "high qualityrrlanufia'cturefiniiquaiitity production.

' The above being aj'oniplete disclosure of an 'illustrative einbodirnentiofi the inveiition, 'wh'afisfolaimedflasFneiv jandesired to'be securedbyLetters'Patentof the United safest" fof said 'he pen a series'fof' disharge :openings in'i'the 7 "beam o f tlie keeper "and a i'otating'shaft adjaeent: the "bottom bf the hopper; a rotor on said shaft" comprising la disk like plate including an even nurnber of "substant'ially" radially extendin g I strips, "uniformly? oir'cum feren- -=tiallyf spaoediahout "said 'sh aft'in a eom'rndn pla'ne subfstritially normal wh reteand p'rovidingnotohes therebetw'enga rivetritendingthrough'saidgplate adjacent-the .a exe'f alternateiiotlieg'ifornied between said 's'trfipsi, a j

w -ghaped finger'nieniber ofjspri'ng wire having theouter I t fingers 1 thereof extending "along adjace'nt" 7 p tripsa'nd' the "inner 'l'e'g's extending on opposite sides ,of' one of said,

ax all er said shaft and .t the typ coinprisiiig a hopper" providinga diseharge .7 opening in the bottom thereof, said rTotor includinga pair a pf plates mounted on a shaft fior' 'rotation therewith, said J etiir'n tq the psitien. Slll'Pl'lSlD aniou'ritfof distortion hal s'liapea'fiEpos'ition as sospss thejdi's tortingfforce "Eijeibdihgj referre affe'rtilizer' distributor or the inliiding' an "elongated fertilizer' hopper supported ffiorf' 'movehientover th'el ground; transversely of the length A-. feeding roter f or usein a fertilizer-distributor plates being spaced apart axially .of said shaft, Vanda i plurality .of spring wire fingers disposed between the plates and having their ends extending beyond the margins thereof, said wire fingers having portions between said plates bowed to an extent sufiicient to cause forcible V contact of said wire withbiithlplates, as a result of the resiliency of'saidspring wire 'ingers. v t '3. Asianartileof" era 1 I wirefii eiriunit 'for a distributor rotor fo ooirirriiiiiited iiiaterial teomprisin g-a V t rnerhbefiomfios'edof a lengtl'fof'wireof"table i'esilieit t :Eliaracter generally {nineteen o'fa letter inliiding j a side-finger roiinded' 'at?the '-bc'itei1 arfd ntiriffiifig into' a hs a tial yt rttigal;ex end n 109 le ti earsa s 100i! section having a rounded toplportion and the "wire continuing downwafdly and-being'i rorinde'd' at the bottom and extending again upwardly into another substantially Qvertically extending sidefinger. F a lna feetlirigroto rfiafertilizer distributofiofthe;I j "{type ificluding an elon'g t'e'd fertiliier'ahopp en'supporteil V "for 'r'rioveiriient overthe ground transverselywf 'the l ength;

of said hopper; a -s'erie's dischargeopenings in{the bot'toi'n of' the hdpper*and=a rotating shaft adjacent' the i' '1 bottom of the; hopperfa rotor on said 'shaft "eomprising like "p'late including "a nu'mber of substantially fl "xtnding' strips;"circumferentially spacedabout aft 1n"a" c'onimon':plane substantially normal there- I toand p'rovidingfiic'atch'es thereoetween, a finger member 2 of spring Wireexten'clin'g'along'each strip -arid-having :the 1 Printer extremity thereof 'projectirig'beyond the margin of s'aicl stri'p, a locking'plat'eov'erlying saidspring' wire *nie'inb'er a'nd" secured 'in' predetermined spaced reiation tof'th'e fii-st nientioned plate; axially ofsa'id 'sh'aft,i;sai'd t wire-' haviiig'the portion between said plates bowed-"t an FeXterit sentient to "cause forcible con-tact of; said Wire withboth platesand orientedto press egdinstithe :rnargin 'of tli'e'afijant 1 strip, and said rotor being' 'loeatedi in re "latio'n' tb s'aid'operiing e that said'wire 'enters the jopenfling adjaoe'nttheside "thereof toward whieh'isaid wirefis' f V any deflection toward sa'id margin will: be: prevented :by 3 "said "stripg i 7' V it 7 fSf'Irf a feeding? roior'forafertilizer distributor oli the 7 type including an-elongated fertilizer hopper supiported i for movementovefithe ground transversely-of the length r "of "said hopper; aseries "of discharge openingsfin theibo'ttom of thehopper and a rotating shaft a djagentf the' 'bot *toni bf the 'hopp'e'n'fa rotor-un said *shaf t' comprisiiiga V p :1

7 ate including' ja' 'nember ofJsiibSfantia'Hy,5 radiallyextending "strips, circ um'ferentially 'spa cedzabo'ut' sha ft in .aeofrnnion plane substantially normal there} ''td-and providingnotehes'therebetween,a fingertmemberj e h iof"springhvireiextendingalong 'eaeh of said strips; a look or g 'plate' overlying said spring wire member'sfandjsecured V in;spaced relatiomto'the first'rnention'ed plate;:axially 'of 1 'saidf s ha ft', andsaid wire fingersh'avingiportions between 'said plates' bowed; toan extent *suffi cient toflca use forcible f T bontat-of sa'id"wire with both platesFand orintedwto 

